British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer highlighted the case of a former Bahrain resident, who died alongside her fiancé from methanol poisoning in Vietnam last year, during a meeting with a senior Vietnamese official and urged that the UK government be ‘kept informed about developments’ in the case.
Ann Davies, a British member of parliament, wrote to Mr Starmer ahead of his meeting in London with the Communist Party of Vietnam general secretary Tô Lâm, last week, urging that the tragedy receives the ‘full attention and resources it deserves from the Vietnamese authorities’.
Greta Otteson, 33, a former popular pupil at St Christopher’s School Bahrain, and her South African fiancé Arno Quinton Els, 36, were found dead on December 26 last year in separate rooms of a resort villa at Hoi An, Vietnam, after drinking a contaminated beverage.
“Since her death, Greta’s parents, Paul and Susan, have received little information regarding the progress of the investigation,” the MP wrote in the letter. “They are especially concerned that the restaurant where Greta and Arno were poisoned is still open and operating, and that nobody has been charged with their deaths, despite an individual being held in custody for several months.
“I therefore ask that you use your meeting with Mr Lâm to raise Greta’s case and the need for answers and accountability. The slow pace at which Greta’s case is progressing in Vietnam is worrying and also raises concerns for the welfare of other British citizens who may visit the country in the future.
“Greta’s case needs to receive the full attention and resources it deserves from the Vietnamese authorities, and that her parents are kept fully informed of developments.”
In an official UK Foreign Office statement via email to Mr Otteson following the meeting, it was confirmed that the Prime Minister ‘raised Greta’s case with Mr Lâm.
“As you are aware, the local police investigation into Greta’s tragic death remains ongoing, and we must respect the process and allow the Vietnamese authorities to carry out their investigation in full,” the statement read.
“At present, we have no concerns about the conduct of the investigation, and although the pace may feel slow, it is within the standard we would expect in this context.”
The statement added that they fully understand, however, how ‘difficult and disheartening it must be’ that the UK embassy has not received responses to its submitted pursuit of updates on the investigation.
“I am therefore pleased to be able to share that Prime Minister Starmer raised Greta’s case with Mr Lâm, during their meeting on Wednesday and asked that His Majesty’s Government be kept informed of developments in the case.”
Mr Otteson, 71, who has lived in Bahrain since 1981, expressed his gratitude to Ms Davies, describing her as a ‘huge supporter’ of the family’s campaign for justice.
“We as a family, as well as all of Greta and Arno’s friends around the world, cannot thank Ann Davies enough for the time and energy she has dedicated to the cause of obtaining justice for both of those lives pointlessly snatched away. Thank you Ann,” he said.
The retired former Alba executive and his wife who live between their homes in Seef and the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire, also voiced frustration over the limited progress in the investigation, noting that the Vietnamese police had only provided a brief update on September 30, offering ‘some information but no specific details’.
“We are especially concerned that the well-known Hoi An Good Morning Vietnam Restaurant that supplied the alcohol that poisoned Greta and Arno never closed for one day, is still open and operating,” he said, adding that no one has been charged with their deaths, despite a barman being held in custody for nine months.
“Two square bags – one topped with a pink bunny, and the other a blue teddy – hold Greta and Arno’s ashes sit in the lounge with us. We want to lay them to rest properly, but we feel we can’t do that until there is a proper conclusion to this case,” he said.
In January 2024, Greta, who was born in Awali Hospital on September 29, 1991, and Arno, moved to Vietnam, leasing an eight-room hotel and quickly establishing an online business as ‘digital nomads’ with a global client base.
In November 2024, Mr and Mrs Otteson visited Greta and Arno, where the happy sweethearts announced their engagement.
During their stay, the family frequently dined at the Good Morning Vietnam Restaurant, enjoying food and drinks, including a local favourite called limoncello, a liqueur mainly made from lemon peel and served ice cold before or after a meal.
A few weeks later, after Mr and Mrs Otteson returned home and were thinking of a Christmas gift for Greta and Arno, they decided to send them a bottle of the beverage from the restaurant.
Within hours of drinking some on Christmas Day, Greta messaged her parents saying she had a severe hangover and was seeing black spots. Despite suggestions from her friends and family, she didn’t seek medical attention.
Post-mortem examinations revealed that the couple had died from severe methanol poisoning.
In February, a barman was arrested for allegedly preparing the contaminated beverages by using 70-degree medical grade alcohol normally associated with sterilisation, not for drinking or using in food processing.
It was mixed with filtered water, lemon peel and white sugar to create bottles of ‘limoncello’ at Good Morning Vietnam restaurant. Investigations are continuing, the GDN has been told.
Methanol is tasteless and has a faint smell. It is sometimes used in counterfeit or homemade alcohol to cut costs.
It is extremely poisonous; as little as 60 to 240 millilitres can prove fatal for an adult. Symptoms may include a decreased level of consciousness, poor or no co-ordination, vomiting, abdominal pain and decreased vision.
While precise global figures are unknown, reports suggest thousands of people are poisoned by methanol each year, with incidents often occurring in Asia from homemade or bootlegged alcohol.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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